Kawhi Leonard
|+ colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-size: 125%; color:#000000; background-color:#ffffff"|' ' |- | colspan="2" style="text-align: center;"| Leonard during a Raptors game in October 2018. |- Born |Kawhi Anthony Leonard Los Angeles, California |- Nationality |American |- Physical stats |- Listed height |6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |- Listed weight |230 lbs (104 kg) |- No. 2 – Los Angeles Clippers |- Position |Small forward |- League |NBA |- Career information |- High school |Martin Luther King (Riverside, California) |- College |San Diego State (2009–2011) |- NBA Draft |2011 / Round: 1 / Pick: 15 |- | colspan="2" style="text-align: center;"|Selected by the Indiana Pacers |- Playing career |2011–present ( |1|1}} years) |- Career history |- |2011–2018 |San Antonio Spurs |- |2018–2019 |Toronto Raptors |- |2019–present |Los Angeles Clippers |- Career highlights and awards |- | colspan="2" style="text-align: left"| *2x NBA champion (2014, 2019) *2x NBA Finals MVP (2014, 2019) *4x NBA All-Star (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020) *NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant MVP (2020) *All-NBA First Team (2016) *2× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2015, 2016) *2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2015, 2016) *NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2014) *NBA All-Rookie First Team (2012) *NBA steals leader (2015) *Consensus second-team All-American (2011) *2× First-team All-MWC (2010, 2011) *California Mr. Basketball (2009) |} Kawhi Anthony Leonard (born June 29, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played two seasons of college basketball for San Diego State before being selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. He was then traded to San Antonio on draft night. Leonard won 2 NBA championships with the Spurs in 2014 and with the Raptors in 2019 and was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in both Finals. He subsequently moved to Los Angeles and signed with the Clippers as a free agent in July 2019. Leonard is a four-time All-Star with two All-NBA First Team selections. Nicknamed the "Claw," or "Klaw," for his ball-hawking skills, he has earned five All-Defensive Team selections and won Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2015 and 2016. High school career Leonard attended Canyon Springs High School before transferring to Martin Luther King High School his junior year. In Leonard's senior year, he and Tony Snell led the King High Wolves to a 30–3 record. Leonard averaged 22.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.0 blocks per game that year and won California Mr. Basketball. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Leonard was listed as the No. 8 small forward and the No. 48 player in the nation in 2009. College career Freshman season (2009–2010) As a freshman at San Diego State, Leonard averaged 12.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/46049/kawhi-leonard ESPN.go.com Leonard helped lead the Aztecs to a 25–9 record and the Mountain West Conference (MWC) tournament title. SDSU received an automatic bid to the NCAA TournamentGoAztecs.com but lost to Tennessee 62–59 in the first round as Leonard recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds.http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/031910aaa.html GoAztecs.com Leonard led the MWC in rebounding and was named MWC freshman of the year, first team All-MWC, and the 2010 MWC Tournament MVP.Player Bio GoAztecs.com Sophomore season (2010–2011) In Leonard's sophomore season, he averaged 15.7 points and 10.4 rebounds as the Aztecs finished with a 34–3 record and won back-to-back conference tournament championships. Leonard and San Diego State would once again make the NCAA tournament. This time, SDSU would advance to the Sweet 16 where they lost to eventual national champion UConn. Leonard was named to the Second Team All-America and would forgo his final two seasons at San Diego State to enter the 2011 NBA draft. College statistics |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| San Diego State | 34 || 33 || 31.3 || .455 || .205 || .726 || 9.9 || 1.9 || 1.4 || .7 || 12.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| San Diego State | 36 || 36 || 32.6 || .444 || .291 || .759 || 10.6 || 2.5 || 1.4 || .7 || 15.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 70 || 69 || 31.9 || .449 || .250 || .744 || 10.2 || 2.2 || 1.4 || .7 || 14.1 College awards and honors * Consensus second team All-American (2011) * NABC All-American Third Team (2011) * 2× All-Mountain West First Team (2010–2011) * 2× All-Mountain West All-Tournament Team (2010–2011) * All-Mountain West Defensive Team (2011) * Mountain West Tournament MVP (2010) * Mountain West Freshman of the Year (2010) Professional career San Antonio Spurs (2011–present) 2011–12 season: Rookie year Leonard was selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers but was traded that night to the San Antonio Spurs along with the rights to Erazem Lorbek and Davis Bertans in exchange for George Hill. On December 10, 2011, following the conclusion of the NBA lockout, he signed a multi-year deal with the Spurs. Leonard and teammate Tiago Splitter were selected to play in the 2012 Rising Stars Challenge as members of Team Chuck. Although he suited up for the event, he did not play due to a calf strain. After starter Richard Jefferson was traded to the Golden State Warriors for Stephen Jackson, Leonard was promoted to the starting small forward position while Jackson served as his backup. At season's end, Leonard placed fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and was named to the 2012 All-Rookie first team. | width=30em | align=right}} In the summer of 2012, Leonard was among several NBA up-and-comers chosen to play for the 2012 USA men's basketball Select Team. They trained with the Olympic team which featured Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and others. 2012–13 season: First Finals appearance On October 26, 2012, the Spurs exercised the team option on Leonard, re-signing him through the 2013–14 season. Leonard was selected to play for the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge where he was once again drafted to Team Chuck. He recorded 20 points and 7 rebounds as Team Chuck defeated Team Shaq for the second straight year 163–135. The San Antonio Spurs advanced to the NBA Finals where they faced the Miami Heat. Leonard averaged 14.6 points and 11.1 rebounds during the Finals as the Spurs lost the series in seven games. '2013–14 season: NBA championship and Finals MVP' Leonard during Game 4 of the 2013 NBA Finals . On April 6, 2014, Leonard scored a season-high 26 points in the Spurs' 112–92 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.Notebook: Spurs 112, Grizzlies 92 He finished the season averaging 12.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.7 steals while shooting 52.2% from the field. Leonard helped the Spurs to a 62–20 record – the number one seed in the NBA – and was named to the NBA All-Defensive second team for the first time.Kawhi Leonard Named to 2013–14 NBA All-Defensive Second Team The Spurs and the Miami Heat met once again in the NBA Finals. On June 10, 2014, in Game 3 of the series, Leonard scored a then career-high 29 points in a 111–92 victory.Notebook: Spurs 111, Heat 92 San Antonio went on to win the series 4–1. Leonard averaged 17.8 points on 61% shooting and was named NBA Finals MVP. He was the third-youngest player to win the award (22 years and 351 days), behind only Magic Johnson—who won in both 1980 (20 years and 278 days) and 1982 (22 years and 298 days). Leonard was also only the sixth player, and the first since Chauncey Billups in 2004, to win Finals MVP in a season in which they were not an All-Star. 2014–15 season: Defensive Player of the Year After missing the final six preseason games and the season opener against the Dallas Mavericks due to an infection in his right eye caused by conjunctivitis, Leonard made his season debut against the Phoenix Suns on October 31 despite still suffering from blurry vision. He continued to play through the blurred vision and on November 10, 2014, he scored a season-high 26 points in the Spurs' 89–85 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Following a three-game stint on the sidelines between December 17 and December 20, Leonard had an injection in his injured right hand on December 22 and was ruled out indefinitely. He returned to action on January 16, 2015 after missing 15 games, recording 20 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals to lead the Spurs to a 110–96 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. On April 5, Leonard recorded 26 points and a career-high 7 steals in a 107–92 win over the Golden State Warriors.Leonard has 26, Spurs snap Warriors 12-game streak, 107-92 On April 23, Leonard was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, joining Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to win both NBA Defensive Player of the Year and NBA Finals MVP. The next day, he scored a playoff career-high 32 points in a Game 3 first-round playoff series victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.Leonard leads Spurs to 100-73 win over Clippers and 2-1 lead The Spurs went on to lose the series in seven games. 2015–16 season: First All-Star selection On July 16, 2015, Leonard re-signed with the Spurs to a five-year, $90 million contract. On October 28, he scored a career-high 32 points in a 112–106 season-opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.Donovan wins NBA coaching debut, Thunder beat Spurs 112-106 On December 3, he scored 27 points and made a career-high seven three-pointers in a 103–83 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.Leonard scores 27 as Spurs defeat Grizzlies 103-83 On January 21, 2016, he was named as a starter to the Western Conference team for the 2016 All-Star Game, earning his first All-Star selection and became the sixth Spurs player in franchise history to be selected as an All-Star starter, joining George Gervin, Larry Kenon, Alvin Robertson, David Robinson and Tim Duncan. On March 23, 2016, Leonard matched his career high with 32 points in a 112–88 win over the Miami Heat, helping the Spurs extend their franchise-record home winning streak to 45 games (dating to 2014–15 season). On April 2, he set a new career high with 33 points in a 102–95 win over the Toronto Raptors, helping the Spurs set a franchise record with their 64th victory. The Spurs topped their 63-win season in 2005–06 and extended their NBA-record home winning streak to start the season to 39 games. Leonard helped the Spurs finish second in the Western Conference with a 67–15 record, and earned Defensive Player of the Year honors for a second straight year, becoming the first non-center to earn the honor in back-to-back seasons since Dennis Rodman in 1989–90 and 1990–91. Additionally, he finished runner-up in the MVP voting behind Stephen Curry. In Game 3 of the Spurs' first-round playoff series with the Memphis Grizzlies, Leonard helped the Spurs go up 3–0 with a 32-point performance, tying his playoff career high. After sweeping the Grizzlies, the Spurs moved on to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round. In Game 3 of the series against the Thunder, Leonard helped the Spurs go up 2–1 with 31 points and 11 rebounds. However, the Spurs went on to lose the next three games, bowing out of the playoffs with a 4–2 defeat. NBA career statistics Regular season |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 64 || 39 || 24.0 || .493 || .376 || .773 || 5.1 || 1.1 || 1.3 || .4 || 7.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 58 || 57 || 31.2 || .494 || .374 || .825 || 6.0 || 1.6 || 1.7 || .6 || 11.9 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| † | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 66 || 65 || 29.1 || .522 || .379 || .802 || 6.2 || 2.0 || 1.7 || .8 || 12.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 64 || 64 || 31.8 || .479 || .349 || .802 || 7.2 || 2.5 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 2.3 || .8 || 16.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 72 || 72 || 33.1 || .506 || .443 || .874 || 6.8 || 2.6 || 1.8 || 1.0 || 21.2 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" | Career | 324 || 297 || 29.9 || .499 || .391 || .828 || 6.3 || 2.0 || 1.8 || .7 || 14.3 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" | All-Star | 1 || 1 || 26.0 || .533 || .167 || .000 || 6.0 || 3.0 || 2.0 || .0 || 17.0 Playoffs |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2012 | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 14 || 14 || 27.1 || .500 || .450 || .813 || 5.9 || .6 || 1.2 || .4 || 8.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2013 | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 21 || 21 || 36.9 || .545 || .390 || .633 || 9.0 || 1.0 || 1.8 || .5 || 13.5 |- | style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"| 2014† | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 23 || 23 || 32.0 || .510 || .419 || .736 || 6.7 || 1.7 || 1.7 || .6|| 14.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2015 | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 7 || 7 || 35.7 || .477 || .423 || .771 || 7.4 || 2.6 || 1.1 || .6 || 20.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2016 | style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio | 10 || 10 || 33.9 || .500 || .436 || .824 || 6.3 || 2.8 || 2.6 || 1.4 || 22.5 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" | Career | 75 || 75 || 33.1 || .512 || .420 || .744 || 7.2 || 1.5 || 1.7 || .7 || 14.7 Personal life Leonard is the cousin of Stevie Johnson, wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). On January 18, 2008, Leonard's father, Mark, was shot and killed at the Compton car wash he owned. , the murderer had still not been found,Father's memory helps drive Aztecs star Fox Sports, January 20, 2011Kawhi Leonard: Basketball, Family, Honor CraveOnline.com, March 11, 2011DimeMag.com, June 13, 2014 and the family had stopped asking authorities for updates.THE SPURS' FUTURE IS NOW Leonard and his long-time girlfriend, Kishele Shipley,NBA star Kawhi Leonard is not your average man with $94 million in the bank are expecting their first child in July 2016.Kawhi Leonard expecting birth of first child this summer References External links * Category:Born in 1991 Category:American basketball players Category:Indiana Pacers draft picks Category:Players who won the NBA Championship Category:Players who wear/wore number 2 Category:San Antonio Spurs players Category:Toronto Raptors players Category:National Basketball Association players Category:NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award Winners Category:Los Angeles Clippers players